Ducks fight to the Finnish

Published 4:00 am, Tuesday, November 18, 1997

SAN JOSE - In Teemu Selanne, the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim have everything the Sharks lack.

Selanne is a sniper. He's one of the fastest skaters in the league. He has a quick, accurate shot. The 27-year-old native of Helsinki, Finland, displays a tremendous work ethic and provides leadership in what could easily be an adverse time for Anaheim.

Selanne could hang his head and complain that without linemate Paul Kariya, out during a contract squabble, he and the 8-8-5 Mighty Ducks can't play to full potential. Instead, Selanne adjusts and takes his game to an even higher level.

Selanne is Anaheim's go-to guy. He has scored his team's first goal seven times. In a recent stretch, Selanne notched the game-winner or game-tying goal in seven of nine Mighty Duck games.

His nickname - The Finnish Flash - is misleading. It ought to be The Finishing Flash. Simply put, Selanne buries his chances. How often do the Sharks?

Last Monday when the two teams met in Anaheim, Selanne needed just 12:58 to post his 13th career hat trick. The Sharks (6-14-1) rallied from a pair of two-goal deficits to win, 6-4, and face a similar challenge Tuesday when the losers of three straight host Anaheim in San Jose Arena at 7:30 p.m.

"It's easy to get caught up watching him, but we can't afford to do that," Sharks checking winger Shean Donovan said.

With his goal-scoring spree against the Sharks, Selanne extended a streak to 11 straight games with at least one goal. The longest such streak since 1992-93 was snapped in his next outing. Charlie Simmer holds the NHL record with goals in 13 straight games in 1979-80.

"If he's not the best player in the league he's sure as hell the hottest," Sharks coach Darryl Sutter said.

Turn back the clock to midseason during the 1995-96 campaign. The Mighty Ducks were floundering along, 12 games under .500 and seemingly out of the playoff race. Kariya, the fourth overall pick in 1993, was progressing nicely, but needed help.

Anaheim general manager Jack Ferreira made a gutsy trade. He dealt high picks Oleg Tverdovsky and Chad Kilger to Winnipeg for Selanne. Tverdovsky, the second overall selection in '94, was a young defenseman who in a short stint in the NHL was already showing much promise. Kilger, a Canadian junior hockey star, was chosen fourth overall in '95.

Today with Phoenix, Tverdovsky, like Kariya, is without a contract and not playing. Kilger is in the minors.

Selanne, meanwhile, hasn't stopped producing since he got to Anaheim. With Selanne's arrival, the Mighty Ducks rallied to finish within one win of .500 in '95-96 and fell one point short of the playoffs.

Anaheim took the next step last year during its fourth season. With Selanne and Kariya accounting for 39 percent of their goals, the Mighty Ducks finished second in the Pacific Division, fourth in the Western Conference, and won a playoff round before bowing out to eventual Stanley Cup champion Detroit.

Selanne has been a Shark killer every step of the way. In 23 career games against San Jose, Selanne is averaging two points per contest with his 24 goals and 22 assists for 46 points against the Sharks. Selanne has five three-goal games with Anaheim. Three have come against San Jose.

"He's a great player and if you give him a step he's going to take it," Gill said. "He's going to win games all by himself. He already has. You have to convince yourself you're going to stop him."

NOTES: Bernie Nicholls, who has missed the last three games, had the cast removed from his broken right thumb but remains out indefinitely. . . . Ron Sutter, nursing a strained groin that's kept him out of the last four, tried but couldn't skate Monday. . . . Since losing all six matchups against San Jose in their inaugural season, the Mighty Ducks have gone 11-4-1 against the Sharks since.&lt;